When you first start trading with a prop-firm, your first objective is to successfully pass your evaluation account so that you can purchase your PA account. Then, when you get your PA account, you need to turn $25,000 into $27,100 before you can get your first payout of $500.

Having gone through this process, and having received my first payout, I read the quote by the late Felix Dennis, a British publisher and entrepreneur, in a completely different way.

It’s not the $500 payout, (the first million), that I value. It’s the process of getting there that is so valuable. Having gone through the hard work of getting there, I now know what it takes to get my next payout. Because I conquered it once, I have every reason to believe that I can conquer it again. Soon enough, it will become routine.

Recently, I had a major loss. What prevented it from becoming a devastating loss was the value that I placed on the loss. Did it hurt, oh yeah. Big time. However, I chose not to give it the authority that it wanted. When I made that decision, I became Boss again.

The payout I received was nice, of course, however, what I value even more, was fighting through the process of getting to the payout. Now that I’ve done that, I know that I can do it again, and again. If you place value on the fight, not on the results, you will win.

We live in a society where people feel the need to be heard. They tend to associate their identity and value with being heard. We see it everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (now X), and every other social media platform. Think of it. We have even coined the term, “Social – Media – Platform” to elevate the value of “being heard”.

How much wiser would our society be if we valued “listening” over “being heard“. Are you driven to learn, or driven to make sure everyone hears what you have to say?

Only when you determine to focus your attention on listening over being heard, will wisdom enter the room. If you are determined to be heard, even if you call out to her, wisdom will not be found.

If our approach to trading is, “I got this“, you might as well pick up your ball and go home. In other words, if you have nothing to learn, then you are in the wrong place. Even if you do understand a concept or strategy, listening to someone else cover the material you already believe you have down cold, may give you a better understanding, but from a different perspective.

I encourage you to take time to listen. Not so that you can respond. But so that you can reflect and glean. If you do have something to share, run it through the gatekeeper of your mouth to ensure that what you say (or post), is bathed in grace so that it builds up the listener or reader (see Eph. 4:29).

I encourage you to listen hard. The harder you listen, the more grace you will be able to extend when speaking.

What does this have to do with trading? Everything. How can you learn if you don’t think you have anything to learn? If you don’t value listening, . . . if you don’t prioritize listening, you will not become a Master Trader. Wisdom is found everywhere, but it won’t be found until we prioritize hearing her voice. She speaks through both the wise, and through the mouth of a fool, and what you hear from each determines your how you grow. A fool can teach you a lot.

But maturity is not measured by winning trades. Maturity is measured in how you handle loss. Anyone can celebrate a win, but how do you handle loss? 

Have you ever sat down to consider loss? I don’t mean for 90 seconds. I mean, to sit down, and really think about what options are on the table, and carefully explore all available options so that you can then choose the best option moving forward?  Or, like most people, do you get angry, gloss over it, and tell yourself in the span of 4 seconds, “I won’t make that mistake again”, and off the races looking for the next trade? 

The 4 second consideration people will never grow. They can’t grow. They have not taken the time to contemplate and explore the options available to them after suffering such a loss. 

Here are a few questions that one should ask when suffering a sizable loss: 

• Does this loss determine who I am as a person? 
• Was my loss due to a technical error, greed, or fear? 
• If the loss was due to greed, why are you greedy? What in your life is lacking that you feel the need to embrace unwarranted risk? 
• If the loss is due to fear, what kind of fear? Are you afraid of missing out? Are you afraid of taking risks? Do your present circumstances cause you to take unwarranted risks, (for example, I need to pay my rent)? Is it a combination of several fears? 

The point I am making here is that you need to set aside time and contemplate.  

Think through the why behind the loss. Don’t blame others. Nobody else took your trade. You did. Now, grow from it. But how?  

You may need to repent of greed or fear, or perhaps something else.  When you obey fear, it is because in your eyes, fear is bigger than your Heavenly Father. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you. He wants to. 

After you have looked at the why behind your loss, are you then able to adjust your approach, your thinking, or your partnership, and grow.